Summer Boat Tour: Multiple Lines of Defense

What better way to spend a morning than on a boat, skirting storms and learning about the wetlands and levee system that protect the Greater New Orleans area? Last week, National Wildlife Federation, partnering with the City of New Orleans on a summer field trip series, led four boats filled with community leaders on a tour of the wetlands along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) and the $1.1billion Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Surge Barrier. Our enthusiastic participants, including government officials, neighborhood leaders, landowners and academia, saw part of our city’s “Multiple Lines of Defense” system up close and personal with the guidance of Dr. John Lopez of Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. First-hand learning experiences, like this boat tour, help us build awareness and empower stakeholders to be even stronger advocates for the coast and the resilience of our city.

The group discusses the surge barrier and adjacent wetland restoration efforts

Surge barrier’s steel piles are driven in at an angle and are 288 feet long

Amanda Moore is the Deputy Director for the National Wildlife Federation’s Mississippi River Delta Restoration Program. Amanda works with government officials, community leaders, and coastal science experts to raise awareness and address coastal land loss in Louisiana. Her special focus areas include stakeholder engagement and restoration of the vast ecosystem impacted by the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. Since 2002, Amanda has worked on environmental issues for non-profit, public, and private organizations. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Mary Washington and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of South Florida. She can be reached at moorea@nwf.org.

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